Rookie guard Lamb stays patient while learning NBA ropes

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There was always a chance Jeremy Lamb would be overlooked, at least early in his rookie season.

Another player in his Rockets draft class, Royce White, grabbed attention for his anxiety disorder and willingness to discuss it. Another, Terrence Jones, was the first of the Rockets rookies to carve out a niche in the rotation. Another, Donatas Motiejunas, has shown breakthrough potential. Lamb is not even the Rockets’ most noteworthy Jeremy.

But Lamb, 20, never seemed likely to be overlooked by himself. Yet when coach Kevin McHale ordered the rookies to do extra running after Monday’s practice, Lamb did not catch the directive and remained on the sideline.

“I thought we were family!” Jones shouted.

“We are,” Lamb said. “That’s why I was pulling for you.”

Veteran competition

McHale said Lamb will play catch-up today, but that was true before he inadvertently finished his workout early Monday. As young and inexperienced as the Rockets are, the only position with a group of veterans is his shooting guard position.

While Lamb learns NBA basics, they are old news to Kevin Martin and Shaun Livingston as they enter their ninth season and Carlos Delfino as he begins his eighth.

“I feel I’m making progress,” Lamb said. “I know it’s going to be tough. I’m just trying to find my way right now. Adjusting, competing to find my spot, it’s the NBA. There’s a lot of good players. I’m a rookie. I’m trying to learn as much as I can.”

Those lessons could start on the defensive end, as assistant coach Kelvin Sampson indicated when he called out, “You know you have to play some defense to get interviewed, right?”

“Of course he’s going to be on me, but that’s good,” Lamb said. “I’m taking it step by step, trying to get better, but it’s going OK. Really just trying to learn and learn.”

First-round pick

Lamb, 6-5, starts with the size and offensive skills that made him the first of the Rockets’ three first-round picks last June, the 12th player taken overall. He had a breakthrough NCAA Tournament as a freshman when Connecticut won the national championship at Reliant Stadium. The Rockets moved up two spots in the draft with Lamb in mind.

In four preseason games, Lamb has averaged eight points and 4.8 rebounds in 20 minutes per game but has made just 36.7 percent of his shots. He remains a work in progress.

“Jeremy’s got just a lot of NBA stuff to work on,” McHale said. “When you’re really a young guy in our league, you have so much stuff to learn. He’s learning. He’s a very bright kid.

“Jeremy’s got a real good future in this league. Like a lot of young guys, he’s got a lot of stuff he’s processing. He’s got to work on certain areas. The more we’re together, the more we’ll be able to help him in those areas.”

He gets plenty of help. While coaches work to bring along the rookies as quickly as possible, Lamb said he has been learning from his elders. Having veterans at his position will make it more difficult to carve out playing time, but at least he has no trouble seeing how it should be done.

Good education

“I get behind them,” Lamb said. “You’ve got to look at the positive. I can learn from them, somebody to tell me how it goes, how to play a position. There is positive and negative. I learn from Kevin. He really knows how to use his second and third moves. Shaun tells me about spacing, working hard.”

Lamb also can afford to be a patient student. Martin and Livingston are in the final seasons of their contracts. Delfino’s three-year deal has only this season guaranteed. Lamb is the heir apparent, even if it is not easy paying dues.

“I think that helps him,” McHale said. “Sometimes it exposes him, too, because when the young guys are all playing (together), he guards K-Mart … moving without the ball, breaking plays. Like in a game, Manu Ginobili is not going to let you stand on top of him.

“He has to learn all those things. He’s doing well, though. He’ll be fine. He’s just a long way from UConn.”